A rotary cutting tool such as a milling cutter cuts a workpiece while being rotated. An example of such rotary cutting tool includes a plane milling cutter or a side milling cutter, which is configured to form a slot in a workpiece. The side milling cutter is mainly used for forming long and deep slots in the workpiece.
By way of example, as shown in FIG. 1, the side milling cutter of the prior art has a disk-shaped tool body 10. The tool body 10 has a plurality of insert pockets 11 shaped so as to receive a cutting insert 12. The insert pockets 11 are arranged along a circumferential periphery of the tool body 10. The cutting insert 12 is mounted to each of the insert pockets 11 by means of a clamping screw 13.
As one example of a rotary cutting tool such as a side milling cutter, International Application Publication No. WO 2005/053888 A1 discloses a rotary slot milling cutter.